Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Education, 2015
At present
I am currently working at the Surabaya Grammar School in Surabaya, Indonesia as an English Subject Teacher for Playgroup students. This is my first job since graduating from the University. I have been teaching here for three years now, and I was awarded as Teacher of the Year in 2016. Working abroad is an opportunity for me to grow professionally and personally. It is not easy, especially since I am far from my family, but this experience teaches me so many things as a teacher and as a person. I face tremendous challenges in dealing with the people around me. There were times I was asked why I keep exerting extra effort in the things I did. Some people have said I do things differently and that I am trying to outshine everyone else. Those words hurt me but I kept on working as I always have. There are more important things that I should focus on: my students, the parents, and the other people who believe in me and in what I do. The joy that they bring me is beyond words. The hugs and the kisses from my students, the thoughtful messages and comments from the parents, and the words of encouragement from the people around me are reasons for me to keep going and to stand for my values as a teacher and as a person.
On UA&P
When I was in high school, I never heard of a university called UA&P. When a classmate saw me holding brochures and forms from UA&P, she asked me if I would go to this school and I said no. Who would have thought that four years after, I would graduate from this university that became truly close to my heart?
After getting all the results of the entrance exams I took at different universities, I decided to go to UA&P not because I wanted to but because the University offered me a full scholarship. I chose MA Humanities, but the night before my enrollment, I wrote a letter to the Registrar’s Office to request if I can change my course to BS Child Development and Education. I did that without even thinking twice. I believe it was God who inspired me to do that.
My life in the University started as a CDE student, but I had doubts about whether I would be happy working as a teacher. These doubts hindered me from excelling in my classes, but one moment changed everything. When I was making my materials for one of my classes during sophomore year, I wrote “Teacher Noe” on one side of a box and decorated it. The bedecked box gave me unexplainable joy. That night, I decided that since I had started this journey, I might as well give it my best and relish it. True enough, when I started my practicum in the preschool setting, I fell in love with it. My passion was ignited when the little ones called me “Teacher,” when I saw how they grew, and when I experienced the beauty of teaching. I knew then that this profession was for me, and my love for it grew deeper and deeper.
Going to UA&P is one of the best decisions I have ever made. The University, the professors, and the classes I took helped me to be the teacher that I am right now. I hope that UA&P will continue to produce individuals who are learning not just to gain knowledge but also to be upright and exemplary. UA&P, continue to open the minds of young individuals and empower them so that they will not be afraid to be lifelong learners and to blaze their own trail.
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